


Master

by DcDreamer



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Emperor Hux, Enemies to Friends, Friends to Lovers, Kylo can't flirt, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Someone save these idiots, back massages, hux is paranoid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 11:16:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11462448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DcDreamer/pseuds/DcDreamer
Summary: If he wasn’t careful, he ran the risk of Kylo discarding him for a new Master.There were only dangers and risks in keeping Ren alive.And yet Hux was determined to keep him.Hux explores just what it takes to keep a Force user docile. Meanwhile Kylo wonders if his feelings for his Master will ever be reciprocated.





	Master

**Author's Note:**

> This work is a gift for ArmittyisWitty from the Very Merry Kylux exchange.  
> Prompt: "Kylo kneeling in front of Emperor Hux on his throne."  
> 

Hux was already pulling on the magnetic clasps of his tunic before the door to his quarters fully closed behind him. He unclipped his belt and tossed it onto the nearest surface— purposefully breaking his own careful, tidy habits to increase his sense of frustration and ire. He strode to his bedroom and kicked off his boots as quickly as possible with a relieved sigh. Finally, he peeled off his socks, jacket, and tunic and swiftly threw them all into his laundry chute.

He took a deep breath, relishing the quiet freedom of being out of uniform, and headed back out to the kitchenette. He poured himself the three fingers of Corellian whiskey that had become customary in the past month. He added ice to the tumbler almost as an afterthought and sank heavily into his desk chair.

Leaning back and propping his feet up on his desk, Hux took a slow sip of his drink and considered one of the great, undeniable truths of the galaxy:

Kylo Ren had never been free.

Hux understood that for some brief period of time  _ Ben Solo _ had been free to run and play until his parents sold him to the simpering fool that was his first Master, Luke Skywalker. (Hux knew well how things ended for Skywalker. They were going far worse for Snoke.)  _ Ben Solo _ may have once been free, but  _ Kylo _ , master of the Knights of Ren, had never known freedom.

_ Kylo _ had spent every waking moment in the service of the master he was now actively trying to murder. (Perhaps it had already happened. Perhaps Kylo was already on board his dreadful ship with Snoke’s head mounted on the shield like some barbaric trophy. Somehow that image was better than the alternative. If he  _ didn’t _ succeed...)

Hux took a bigger sip of his whiskey.

What happens if Kylo Ren returns as promised with Snoke’s blood on his hands? Hux had scarcely allowed himself to ponder the question— had barely allowed himself to ponder the very situation he was in.

It had begun innocently enough. Ren had descended the ramp of his shuttle, final training with Snoke complete, and Hux had invited him to his office to catch him up on the affairs of the Finalizer.

He had poured himself a drink not unlike the one he was holding now, desperate to wash away the renewed feeling of shame, of  _ Starkiller _ , that Ren dragged up to the ship with him.

Ren had refused a drink, silently watching Hux move about the room. He had removed his mask upon entry of his office and Hux had made the valiant effort to not stare too long at the faded scar on his cheek. He remembered how Ren’s uncharacteristic patience and  _ silence _ had made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

When he finally settled in his desk chair and Ren sat on the chair opposite him, Hux asked, “I trust your training with Leader Snoke was enlightening.”

Ren shrugged, and for a moment Hux believed that the old Ren was really there with him again, but then he straightened his spine and intoned, “No more so than usual.”

Hux lifted a brow, “I thought this was supposed to complete your training. Surely you must have learned something exciting.”

Ren stared back at him with a carefully blank face, “Perhaps I have learned everything my Master has to teach me.”

And then Hux had replied, unthinkingly, “Perhaps you have surpassed him.”

Ren went very still. Neither moved for a long moment, the recycled air moving through the ventilation shafts the only sound in the room. Finally, Ren reached over the desk and plucked the glass out of Hux’s hand and downed the contents in one swallow. Dimly Hux’s mind wondered where the man had learned to do that.

Ren leaned back in his chair, mischievous smirk back on his lips, and airily stared at the empty glass. “Just what do you suppose I do about it?”

Ren’s malicious energy was infectious, and Hux found himself half smiling back, “What do you do with people who waste your time?”

Ren’s smirk grew, baring teeth, “I kill them.”

Hux leaned forward, “How is this any different?”

Ren’s smirk vanished and Hux’s stomach plummeted. He watched, helpless, as Ren circled around the desk, coming to a stop a hair’s breadth away from him. He leaned forward, placing the glass in Hux’s numb hand and landed his other hand on Hux’s shoulder. He leaned forward a little closer and whispered in Hux’s ear, “You’re so right.”

With that Ren straightened and left the room. 

Hux stared after him and then stared back down at his glass.

_ What the kriff just happened? _

Hux was still pondering exactly that over his third glass when he received a notification alerting him that Kylo Ren had commenced an unscheduled departure.

Hux took another sip of his glass and quickly wrote back,  _ Do not interfere. _

So now Ren was presumably on a mission to kill Snoke. He had been gone for nearly a standard week and with each passing cycle, Hux grew more anxious.  _ What could be taking so long? _ Perhaps the Supreme Leader’s secretive Citadel was hidden away in some far off corner of the galaxy. Or perhaps Ren had failed and now Snoke planned to drive him insane from the uncertainty.

Hux shook his head, disentangling himself from that thought, and stood up. He paced around his office in an attempt to align his thoughts.

When,  _ if _ , Ren returned… what then? He may have run off over something so petty as vengeance but surely it would take something much more serious to keep him in line.

The cold reality of a galaxy without Snoke sunk in. Who would bring Ren to heel? What would keep him from lashing out at every single soul on the Finalizer? Would anything keep him from fulfilling all of his fantasies and murdering Hux the moment he was back on board?

Perhaps that was his plan all along. First he would dispose of Snoke, then Hux, and then the First Order would be his to control. Not that Ren had ever shown any initiative in the Order aside from hunting Skywalker.

What does he  _ want _ ? What does a man like Ren stand to  _ gain _ by slaying Snoke? Though, knowing Ren, he would probably return and say overthrowing Snoke was the final test all along.

Still, an unsupervised Ren running around his ship following whatever whim suited his fancy could not be allowed. But the thought of Ren mildly sitting by following his every order seemed just as impossible. It was a nice thought… Ren obeying his every command to crush the Resistance beneath their feet.

What would it take to bring a man like Kylo Ren to his knees? How could he ever hope to keep him under his control? He would not commit the grievous error of assuming Kylo would kneel before him without question simply because the man had spent the majority of his life on his knees.

Surely Kylo had come to expect certain things of his Masters. After all, his previous masters had been of a  _ mystical persuasion _ Hux could never hope to match... and if he wasn’t careful, he would run the risk of Kylo discarding him for a new Master. That was the trouble, Hux knew, of persuading pupils to kill their teachers. The more you encouraged a student to murder his Master the more likely he was to murder  _ you _ when you became his Master.

Hux shook his head, looked down at his glass, saw that it was empty, and moved back to his desk. He refilled it slowly, lost in silent thought, and eventually sat heavily down in his desk chair.

There was yet another option he could barely allow himself to consider: killing Ren. If he sent a large enough unit after him once his tracker indicated that he was returning, Ren would never have to step foot on the Finalizer again... Somehow, it was that thought, the idea of ambushing Ren that made him nauseous. Such a demise seemed inappropriate for Ren. Like he deserved something filled with more cliched grandeur and drama. And besides, there was no guarantee that the unit he sent in would be enough to kill Ren. If they failed and Ren survived, then there would be no escaping his wrath… But it was also very possible that Ren would kill him in a fit of rage anyway.

Hux drank deeply and considered his options.

_ Ideal case scenario: Ren returns totally docile and listens to everything I say. Likelihood: Minimal. _

_ Best case scenario: Status pro quo. Ren retains his title as co-commander. Likelihood: Plausible. _

_ Worst case scenario: Ren murders me and takes total control of the Order. Likelihood: Probable. Or, conversely, I kill Ren. Likelihood: Minimal… Probable… Incalculable. _

Hux dropped his head into his hands.

All sense pointed him to only one conclusion. There were only dangers and risks in keeping Ren alive.

And yet Hux was determined to keep him.

Ren was a valuable, if infuriating, asset to the Order. Losing him meant losing a great advantage over the Resistance. Ren had never indicated any desire to truly run the Order; their organization was just a means to his mad search for his Uncle. It was entirely  _ probable _ that Ren would return and go back to doing what he did best, be a thorn in Hux’s side. Therefore, the simplest solution to his situation was to assign Ren as many missions as possible. Keeping him away from the ship and his person decreased the probability of Ren physically overpowering him. And keeping him busy with missions also weakened his ability to plot against him. (Though Hux didn't believe there was anyone else in the galaxy with the patience to lead Ren through a coup.) If it truly was inevitable that Ren would one day murder him, then Hux could only delay that day. Turning to his datapad, Hux made it his top priority to keep Kylo Ren as far away from him as possible.

**Author's Note:**

> I love the Emperor Hux trope and this prompt finally gave me the excuse to try it out for myself! Of course, when it came to actually writing, I found myself thinking more and more about what it would take for canon Kylo to kneel before Hux. This fic is a result of a six month character study I guess lol.


End file.
